The Choice Before You
by Deepy
Summary: She held them with her eyes, and in silence looked searchingly at each of them in turn...Sam quickly blushed and hung his head." - FOTR.


_"'But this I will say to you: your Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hop remains while all the Company is true.'_

_And with that word she held them with her eyes, and in silence looked searchingly at each of them in turn. None save Legolas and Aragorn could long endure her gaze. Sam quickly blushed and hung his head.'" – _Fellowship of the Ring_, Book 2, Ch. 7, "The Mirror of Galadriel."_

* * *

The Choice Before You

* * *

Her eyes penetrate him and Sam suddenly felt himself laid bare, weak, vulnerable, and naked in front of her. His breath left him as she looked into the deepest regions of his mind. He felt his vision dimming and darken; all he could see were her eyes. They had seemed so kind but now, they were stern and inquisitive. He could not look away.

"Samwise Gamgee of the Shire," he could hear her voice inside his head, soft and steady. His breath left him in a panic. "Are you loyal to your master?"

His throat was dry but he could hear his own voice inside replying yes.

"Would you follow him to whatever end?"

Once again, he answered yes with hesitation. Mr. Frodo was like a brother to him and he had been so kind, what else could Sam do? Whatever he needed, he could just tell Sam and he would walk to the ends of the Earth to find it.

"What if you could go back to the Shire? Would you then choose him or home?"

Sam found himself unable to answer. He had never allowed himself to think of that choice. Mr. Frodo had always been his top priority and everything had happened so fast that Sam had not the time to think about it. The Shire… Sadness filled his heart as he images of home played out before him. How he had missed it so, the rolling green countryside, the little rivers, Hobbiton. But most of all, he missed her. He missed Rosie.

When he had heard Mr. Frodo volunteer himself to go destroy the Ring, Sam had done what had seem the right thing to do at the time. Sam had agreed to follow him and to protect him. There had been doubts, but they had always been secondary to his loyalty. There hadn't been much, until…. Until the darkness took Gandalf, until he walked among large uninhibited halls, reeking with the stench of death. When frightening, grotesque orcs had surrounded them and the evil chased them.

When he saw Gandalf fell, it was then that he really begun to question why he was there and the quest. Would it succeed or would the evil spread and capture them all? The face of Gandalf, looking up at them from his hanging point on the bridge, uttering those last words and finally…

"That was a taste of the darkness you will have to endure Samwise Gamgee, darker days lay ahead," she warned him, her voice filling him with a sense of foreboding. You can walk away, fly home to your hobbit hole, to your garden, and to her. What will you do if I offered you that choice?"

Suddenly, he found himself in front of a garden, dirt on his hands, and the smell of flowers and fruit in the air. There were flowerpots all around him and a watering can in the corner. The sun was shinning, and in the distance, he can hear the laughter of the hobbit children and the chattering of the hobbit folks. He looked around and was greeted by the sight of a round door; except it was a door he had never seen before.

The door opened and a figure stepped out. A familiar figure, one that he had not stopped thinking about throughout his whole journey. The sun shone on her brown hair, giving it a tinge of red. She was smiling, smiling at him, the way she did whenever he would sneak a glance at her at the pub. Whenever she noticed him looking at her, she would smile back and he would turn away, his cheeks flushed and butterflies dancing in his stomach. The way they were doing right now.

"Sam," Rosie said, her voice a welcoming melody to his ears, "I made your lunch, come in before it's all gone." He saw two children, a little girl with red hair followed by a little boy. They ran up the path, through the gate and into the hobbit hole. He felt himself rendered speechless as he suddenly realized who they were.

He looked up and saw her eyes looking expectedly at him. He nodded, standing up and wiping his hands on his handkerchief. Her hands were outstretched before him and he moved to grab it. He had always wondered what they would feel like, would they be soft? Just when he was going to touch it, she faded from his view, as did the hobbit hole, the garden, and the Shire.

"What would you do, Samwise Gamgee?" He heard the lady's voice say.

He had an answer but before he could give it, the darkness receded and he was once again inside the chamber. He tore his eyes away from her, his vision clouded by tears threatening to fall, his face red. He suddenly felt so tired and drained.

And when they were dismissed, Sam breathed out a sigh of relief and quickly wiped his eyes.

He would not tell of who was in his vision, that secret belonged to him and him only. And he would tell no one of his choice, for it was not easy. Her smile lingered in his head, what he would give to see her again, just for a moment. He did not know it yet, but that smile would keep him warm in the dark days and nights ahead. In his moments of doubt, that memory will keep him walking. Darkness was ahead but for now, he did not care. He just wanted to sleep, so that he could see her again, even if it was only a dream.

* * *

A/N: That was kind of pointless but for some odd reason, this plotbunny wouldn't go away so the result was this piece of character insight. Now, what did Sam choose, Frodo or Rosie? That, my dear readers, is up to you to decide. Remember, Sam looked quite guilty after Galadriel read his mind, what could he possibly be guilty about? I tried writing an answer but somehow, it didn't sound right. Well, tell me what you thought of it.


End file.
